by Dean Henegar
Raytak,
We’ve held the enemy off for as long as we can and will make our last stand in the ruins of the old city. Deacon has set up his traps and defenses farther down the road and will delay the enemy as much as possible once they force their way past me. Deacon has had at least a week to prepare and will give Zipp plenty of headaches. If the enemy doesn’t care about losses, they could push through and be at the gates in a day or two. I’ve left a team to watch the invaders, and they will send you updates on their progress. Here is a list of enemy numbers and capabilities as best as we can gather. Some of their forces have split off to take the Stonefinder mines and the southern transition point. I didn’t get a count on the forces that split, and I only have enough scouts remaining to keep tabs on the main column. Good luck, Raytak. Kill them all!
Ty
Ty’s Recon of the Zisilerpicazant Invasion Force Approaching Hayden’s Knoll:
Troggs: 9000-plus. These guys aren’t all that impressive. They’re strong but lack any type of skill other than “smash enemy with club.” To their credit, they seem to have high morale and don’t break easily.
Imp Warriors: 1000-plus. We’ve only fought them in the last battle. Physically weak, they have good gear and are extra stabby.
Lurkers: 500-plus. As deadly as they are ugly. Strong with natural weapons that can rip through armor. Their weakness is their single-minded focus on killing the foe in front of them and ignoring other threats.
Deep Gnomes: 400. Never saw these guys in action much and they kept to the supply wagons. Suspect they are the engineers of the enemy force, able to build siege engines and the like.
Skittering Death Spiders: 500-plus. Horse-sized creeps that we haven’t fought much. They have been used so far to screen the main army and work as a light cavalry force. Despite their scary looks, the armor on them is easy to crack through.
Gul Dorg Drones: 200. It looks like when the imp took over the ruins, the system rewarded him with a force of these things. They’re ugly and I’m glad I missed out on that fight.
Ikbose Elves: 100-plus. Same clowns as we fought before. Nothing our forces can’t handle, but they are good with their bows. There were a few of the mage types sprinkled among them, but not too many.
Scallywags: 125. Genuine pirate guys. We took out a few and they didn’t impress me with their skill. I think most of them were staggering drunk during the fight.
Giant Bats: 25-plus. We were swarmed over by these things. Not very strong but were good at chasing down and scouting. They took heavy casualties trying to assault the wall and we’ve whittled them down to only a handful.
Deathicorns: 47. The centaurs tore them up good. The enemy used them as heavy cavalry. Let Yendys know these aren’t the cute and cuddly kind of unicorns so she doesn’t try to hug one.
Troll Warriors: 30. Tough, strong, and cunning fighters. You need to burn them with fire or acid to keep them down or they just keep regenerating. Nasty.
Tunnel Wurms: 4. Just like the creature that Narbos sent after us. Keep the scorpions spread out in case one crashes through or tunnels up.
Pox Hydra: 1. Never saw this thing fight, but it looks like a nightmare. Big as a house with seven heads . . . Not sure you want to get up close, given the name.
Other Forces: Unknown. There were large numbers of conscripts that were routed several days ago, and I don’t think they’ll rejoin the fight. I could have missed something else, but the enemy order of march is a mess and their troops were essentially a gaggle. I don’t know how many will return from the southern transition point and the dwarven mine, but expect at least some reinforcement from those troops.
My friend had come through. Ty had bought us enough time to make it to the city with most of our forces intact. Had he not been there to delay Zipp, the imp would have cut off the legion and forced us into an open field battle that we couldn’t have won, given his numerical advantage. Reviewing the enemy order of battle, I could see that Ty had depleted their numbers a great deal. Watching the zone fall one location at a time had been hard, but there was no way I could have defended the whole place without suffering a decisive defeat.
“Sorry, Yendys, I’ve got to get back to work,” I told my granddaughter.
“Sure, Gramps. Where will you want me and the others when the battle starts? I can stay here and help heal, but I kind of want in the fight,” Yendys said.
I thought about it for a moment. The enemy was sneaky, and there was always the possibility of them infiltrating with a small, covert group under the chaos of battle. Having a team of players to fend them off might be a perfect fit.
“Why don’t you and the others, those still left, form a mobile force to head off any threats inside the city? I’ll assign some town guard or militia to flesh out your force, but you’ll have to do the heavy lifting. Can I count on you guys?” I asked.
“Sure, Grandpa. That could be fun. I’ll let the others know the plan once they log on,” Yendys replied, attempting a salute.
I decided to try something that my class might allow. “Well, since he’s the most levelheaded among you, I’m appointing Crunchy as a sergeant in the militia for the duration of the conflict. You can take your orders from him,” I said, wondering how the system would handle it.
The unicorn beetle animal companion Crunchy has been drafted into the militia, pending approval by his companion.
“Woah, I didn’t know you could do that. Can I be a general?”
“Sorry, kid, I think we’ll stick with Sergeant Crunchy for the time being. Are you going to let him join up?” I asked. She must have accepted, because at that moment, the right side of Crunchy’s shell glowed and a set of sergeant’s stripes appeared.
“Very nice. Now, my first order to you and Sergeant Crunchy is for you to find more of that paint and get his camo fixed. He’s in the Army, not the Marine Corps!” I ordered, summoning all my command presence. To my shock, the beetle seemed to snap to attention before being distracted when the shocked scout next to me dropped his bread on the floor. Crunchy lost all military bearing and made a beeline for the food.
“Sure, Grandpa. Any excuse to improve on his cuteness!” Yendys said before tugging on Crunchy’s reins and dragging him in the direction of Phineas’s store.
“Sir, did that just happen? Do I have to take orders from a beetle now?” the shocked scout asked.
“No, he’s in the militia and you’re a legionnaire,” I advised. The soldier got over his shock and went back to his meal.
With a full belly, I made my way to the barracks to plan the defense of the city. I nearly made it to the war room when I was pulled from the game once more. Having lost track of time since the recently extended gap between medication changes, I couldn’t tell if this was a normal logout or the other kind.
Chapter 27
Instead of the normal feeling of weakness that accompanied being pulled from the game, I found myself inside the dimly lit back room of the Commencement Commissary, sitting across the small table from Clio. The usual cup of tea and plate of cookies were in front of me. I didn’t touch the refreshments. These meetings with the AI usually meant something important was happening. I could assume I wasn’t dead, at least, so I had that going for me.
“Welcome again, Colonel Raytak. Sorry for pulling you from your preparations, but it is time we discussed your recovery,” Clio said, stopping for a sip of tea. “The repairs to your mind are going very well. This latest conflict between your zone and the forces of the Hypogean realm is giving me the final data needed to unlock your mind. In fact, we could unlock things now with a minor risk of catastrophic failure, but the doctors and I agree we need you at one hundred percent and should avoid taking any additional risks. By the time the war is decided, one way or another, I will be ready to activate all your memories,” Clio said, pausing for me to reply.
“That’s great news. I don’t mind waiting a short time longer to make sure there’s no chance of my mind melting down. Thank you. Does m
y family know our timeline?” I asked, looking forward to a real-life reunion with Lauren and whoever else I was going to remember.
“Your family will be advised shortly. I wanted to let you know what was happening first, in keeping with your wishes. This time, you’re finding out even before the doctors do,” Clio advised.
That was good. She had a habit of letting me, the guy who was actually the patient, find out things last. Thankfully, Clio had improved during my time in-game. She was learning to interact and adapt to things based on human emotion, something I never was able to figure out.
“So will I be able to see everyone in person once my mind is restored or will my body take longer?” I asked, figuring I could meet the rest of my family in-game like I did with Lauren if there was going to be a long wait.
“That is the next thing I needed to discuss with you. My calculations on your potential reactions are inconclusive, so I will just deliver the data. Your body is not going to recover, I’m afraid. While much of the damage that your old wounds and age have inflicted on you have been fixed, your body systems are no longer able to support themselves on their own. My efforts and those of the medical staff aren’t going to be enough. Outside of the medpod or other extensive life support equipment, your lifespan would be measured in minutes,” Clio said.
My world crashed around me; I wasn’t going to make it. Was this going to be my fate? A failed experiment? Was I revived only to have my hopes dashed? Was there any point in continuing? The AI sat across from me, sipping her tea. For a moment, I hated her, hated the AI that had given me this false hope while I had been plodding through the game world.
“Why? Why did you do this to me? Why did you fix me just enough to torment me with the hope of recovery? I would have been better off if you had just let me die in the hospital. At least then I wouldn’t have known any better,” I said bitterly, my mind still trying to process my death sentence.
“Why, Colonel Raytak? Why is a good question. We did this—I did this—to not just give you a chance at recovery, but to also help others in the future. I’m sorry I couldn’t help you. The doctors will be sorry, and your family will be sorry. Do you know who won’t be sorry? The others I will treat in the future. The others that will have a better chance at life because we pushed the limits of medicine. Perhaps I was wrong about you. Perhaps you were not the selfless soldier I had believed you to be. Ask yourself this question: what if, decades from now, it is Lauren in a medpod? What if the things I’m learning from your treatment spark the research that will save her life?”
That was it, wasn’t it? Maybe the AI was right and my experience would save someone else in the future. I wanted to stay angry at Clio, to rail against the injustice of my situation. But that wasn’t who I was. I had seen too many other brave men and women die in battle. Sometimes the wars we fought were foolish, but we risked our lives all the same to save each other. Was there another veteran sitting in a medpod right now who would survive because of the experience gained from my treatment? I sat in silence for some time, trying to gain control over my raging emotions.
“Very well. I’ll stop freaking out. What happens now? How long do I have?” I asked.
“With the support of the nanobots and the medpod systems, your body will remain viable for some time. I estimate that you will survive for at least another four months of real-world time at the current rate of decline. The only bright spot I can bring you is that you will soon remember your family and have time with them before the end. Rest assured, when you pass, I shall make the experience a painless one,” Clio said.
“Okay, if that’s four months of real-world time, that means I’ll have over a year with my family in-game. I’m assuming they can join me in here like Lauren. I’m not sure how many family members we’re talking about.”
“Don’t worry. I have a special section of the server set aside for your family. You won’t be bothered by mobs or conniving imps in that place. The others will, of course, be able to join you, and I can assure you they are excited to see you once again, even if it is in a virtual setting.”
“What happens now?” I asked.
“For now, we need to completely unlock your mind. I’ll send you back to finish your war. Fight hard, Raytak. The more effort you put into the fight, the more data I can gather.”
If fighting hard gave the AI the data she needed to patch my memory together, well, she was about to get an overload.
***
“Lou, you’re up next. I understand there have been some interesting AI developments,” Chairman Raines said to the Limitless Lands team, which had assembled in Qualitranos Meeting Room 17A.
Trey watched his friend fiddle with his tablet before beginning his presentation. On the screen, several NPCs appeared, interacting with players and other NPCs.
“Clio has developed something new. I’ve suspected this for a while, but we can only now confirm her addition to the game world. The game is now able to split parts of the AI off to form NPCs that aren’t aware they’re NPCs. These ‘shards,’ as we are calling them, function as close to an actual being as you can get in-game,” Lou advised, pointing to the various examples.
“So what exactly does that mean for the player?” the chairman asked.
“Oh, it’s important because things will never be scripted. The way a villain or a shopkeeper reacts will be more natural and intelligent. They will function like they were real, not like a well-programmed bit of code.”
A call notification appeared on Trey’s tablet, letting him know that Dr. Greenway was trying to get in touch with him. With his dad’s memory on the verge of being restored, he had asked to know as soon as she had an exact time. He wanted to be there when Dad remembered. Trey snuck out the back of the meeting room, Chairman Raines nodding as he left. The entire management staff had been supportive, giving him permission to take some time off whenever his dad recovered. Moving into his office so he wouldn’t disturb any of the others, Trey contacted the doctor.
“Hi, Trey, sorry to disturb you at work, but we have an update from Clio on your dad,” Dr. Greenway said. Her voice was flat and clinical, giving Trey pause.
“Is something wrong?”
“It’s a mixed bag, Trey. Your father’s memory is doing well, and Clio has an estimate that it will be fully recovered in only a day or two. The bad news is about your father’s physical condition. We’ve reached the limits on what we can do for him, and it doesn’t look like he will recover enough to be pulled from the medpod. His memory will be restored, so you and the rest of the family can interact with him, but sadly, it will have to be in a virtual environment.”
Trey sat in silence for a time, the doctor not rushing him. So many times he had envisioned that he would be able to take Dad home to be with the family, and now that dream was shattered. Sure, there had been some scares, like with his father’s recent heart troubles, but he had believed things were looking up. He felt robbed of his second chance to be with his father.
“I thought things were going well for him physically. What happened?” Trey asked.
“We thought so as well. The trouble revealed itself when Clio made preparations to take him off support once his memory was recovered. It turns out that without constant nanobot maintenance, many of the physical repairs we’ve made aren’t holding up. During his last medication changeout, he was pulled from the pod for an extended time while the medpod was updated to the latest version. While he was out, Clio began to detect various problems. By the time his meds were refilled and life support was restored, your father had experienced a two percent degradation in cellular stability wherever the nanobots had worked. They quickly repaired the damage once he was back in treatment, but at least for now, there doesn’t appear to be any way to make the repairs permanent.”
“What about a fix? Can’t Clio figure out how to make the repairs permanent?” Trey asked in desperation.
“Yes, she is working on a solution, but it will be too late for your father. His bod
y was just too worn out, Trey. We knew going in that this was a long shot. When we first met and I asked you if you were sure you wanted to use your father in the medpod experiment, you told me that if this had a chance to help others, he would have willingly volunteered. What we are learning from your father will help others in the future.”
“I don’t understand. Other patients have recovered and are out of the medpods without any degradation. Just look at Mr. Ty,” Trey argued.
“Your father was the oldest and furthest gone of any of the patients to date. While the nanobots did maintain the repairs they made to the others for a while, eventually their systems took over and stabilized. Your father is not experiencing this stabilization, and I’m sorry to say that his condition will deteriorate over time, even with medpod support,” Dr. Greenway replied.
“How can we just be finding this out now? Shouldn’t you have known this problem earlier?”
“As I mentioned before, the other patients were all fine when they left the medpods. Until just recently, your father hadn’t been outside of medpod support for more than a few minutes. Only when he was out of the medpod for a longer period of time were we able to discover the problem.”
“How long does Dad have?” Trey asked, unable to keep the defeat from his voice.
“Clio is estimating three to four months. After that, his condition will deteriorate rapidly.”
“Does he know?”
“Yes, Clio debriefed him even before she revealed it to us. From what I hear, your father is taking it as well as can be expected. He’s excited to have his memory restored and is looking forward to meeting all of you. There is some big event going on in the game for him, and Clio says the stress of combat is giving her the last bits of data she needs to unlock his memory. I’m sorry I can’t give you your father back to you physically, but soon you will be able to talk with him virtually,” Dr. Greenway said.
Trey ended the call after thanking the doctor for her help and for not sugar-coating the news. He sat alone in his office for a long time, torn between the frustration of losing his father for good and the joy of having the chance to speak with him again. How was he going to break the news to Lauren and his mom?